The Artist Within – My Best Friend’s Home

Erin and I met in art class in 1992. Since then, our paths have ran parallel, diverted, crossed, and have come back together time and again. We have lived in California, New York, Washington and Oregon. I cannot count the number of actual houses, apartments, or communes Erin and I have lived in during our 26 years of friendship, but for the past 12 years, we have both called Portland home.

Since purchasing her first house in 2013, Erin lovingly updated and restored her 1912 one bedroom Arbor Lodge home. As an artist, the home became one of Erin’s many canvases and artistic expressions. Most notably, the walls. Erin meticulously peeled back various layers of wallpaper to reveal the story of the home and the many lives it contained in the past 106 years. When Erin decided to sell her home, she wanted the next owner to love it’s character as much as she did so we left them as is. We did not paint the walls or cover them up. Instead, we highlighted this unique feature not seen or duplicated anywhere else. Erin’s basement housed her artist studio complete with paintings in process and years of overrun paint down the walls and on the studio floor. Her two car garage housed her massive flat file of artwork, a kiln and a wheel. Add to that, the custom designed and built trellis draped with wisteria framing the entire front of the house, the garden full of heirloom roses, lilies, two flowering dogwoods, and a plant and rock garden with native plants, and a massive vegetable garden. The entire home was Erin’s art. I knew someone would love it just the way it was. 

Discovering the story of a home, highlighting it’s most unique features, and targeting who would appreciate it is one of my favorite parts of my job. During the open house, I explained to everyone who came through the story of the artist who lived there and how she found the beauty in the torn, revealing layers of the homes history. I talked to them about the love and care she put into the house to make it her home. After the open house, we received four offers, every one of them included letters expressing their love for what Erin had done with the walls, the massive garden she had created, and the artistic expression and feel of her home.

Erin’s small one bedroom home sold in 5 days for $25,000 over our list price.

To see Erin’s artwork click here

Carrie Struss

Broker | OR & WA

She/Her

Carrie brings eight years of experience as a Licensed Broker in Oregon and Washington, combining her industry expertise with an eye for detail honed through her degree in Commercial Photography. Her career began with one of her proudest accomplishments: relocating to New York straight out of college to work as a photo producer, where she never settled for an entry-level mindset. It is this same tenacity that has helped make her the top producing agent at Living Room Realty in the Vancouver, WA area since 2021. This accomplishment is a testament to her unwavering commitment to client success. Throughout her career, Carrie has had the privilege of assisting over 100 homeowners achieve their real estate goals. What sets Carrie apart as an agent is her empathetic approach, ensuring that every client feels heard and understood throughout the buying or selling process. Carrie has lived in the Pacific Northwest since 2017, though she’s been visiting the area since her teenage years. Beyond her professional life, Carrie finds peace and joy in nature, spending summers by the river and winters in Hawaii. Amidst her successful career, Carrie's greatest joy is her son Jack, who brings boundless love and inspiration to her life. As your agent Carrie will…

• help get your home (and emotions) ready to sell, then sell your home.
• find you a new home complete with (fill in the “must have” blank).
• facilitate the transaction making sure everyone does what they need to do and has what they need to do it.
• negotiate tenaciously for you.
• educate you on the daunting, overwhelming, and at times stressful process.
• remain calm, always.
• keep you focused on your goals.
• pay attention to every detail.
• show up.
• effectively communicate in the way that works best for you.
• uphold Living Room Realty’s values and what they mean to her.

"I care about where you live. I care about you home, your street, your neighborhood, your community. All the things that are important to you will be my priority. I look forward to working with you!"

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• T: 503-953-0850
• carrie@carriestruss.com